1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel disk shippers for secure handling, transportation and storage of relatively rigid information storage memory disks. The disk shippers are designed so that, with the cover removed, the disks are supported within the shipper bottom in an axial alignment accessible to both internal and external diameter handling. The present shipper bottoms are each compatible with an existing internal diameter access disk process carrier, to permit transfer of disks from shipper bottom to carrier or vice versa in a simple non-rolling transfer operation
In addition to the first disk shipper disclosed in Ser. No. 332,038, this application discloses an alternative disk shipper having certain improvements in structure and function over those described and claimed in Ser No. 332,038, especially in the area of the disk retaining members in the cover, in the disk bed in the bottom, in the latch and in the labyrinth seal of the shipper unit.
The majority of existing memory disk shippers are typically designed to permit only internal diameter disk handling. Newly developed manual and automated disk manipulative techniques utilize either or both external or internal diameter disk handling and the present disk shippers are thus designed to be compatible therewith. The present disk shippers are further designed to permit loading, unloading, latching and unlatching entirely by robotic manipulative techniques, eliminating the need for costly and potentially damaging manual handling.
As mentioned above, another unique feature of the present novel shippers is the ability to transfer disks from the disk shipper bottom to the compatibly designed disk carrier and vice versa, while maintaining the disks securely held throughout the transfer procedure, avoiding undesirable rolling of the disks. Any such rolling in disk transfer operations, referred to as "dumping", generates particulate, a potential source of damage to the disks. Since the disk carrier, with which the Present disk shippers are transfer compatille, does not allow for external diameter handling of the disks, this transfer procedure allows the disks to be transposed from the carrier to the shipper bottom in an axial alignment permitting either internal or external diameter disk handling.
The type of disks intended to be used with the disk shippers and carrier of this invention are relatively rigid information storage disks, such as optical disks, aluminum computer disks, compact disks and computer memory storage disks. A particular embodiment of this invention is especially suited to new smaller sized and relatively thick 65 mm information storage disks. Although the disk shippers of this invention and the compatitly designed carrier may be modified for use with information storage disks of other diameter and thickness dimensions and with more fragile wafers, such as silicon wafers, they are primarily designed for use with more relatively rigid and break resistant information storage disks. Furthermore, the present shipper packages are further designed to be of minimum overall dimensions, reducing the amount of empty space, enabling efficient and economical space utilization when a multiplicity of like packages are stacked together or when empty components are nested together.
2. Description of the Related Information
Currently available disk shippers and carriers which allow for both internal and external disk handling are not necessarily compatible with exclusively robotic handling. Thus, the disk shippers and carriers described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,552 and 4,752,007 require at least some manual intervention, at least in regard to latching and unlatching of the disk shipper package.
Also, disk shippers described in co-pending, commonly assigned Ser. No. 163,981, filed Mar. 4, 1988 and Ser. No. 196,734, filed May 20, 1988 are designed for total robotic handling, but do not present the disks in a configuration for both ID and OD accessibility. The disk shippers described by these two co-pending applications require an interior disk-containing carrier, thus entailing a three-component disk shipper.
In addition, the presently designed disk shipper packages utilize a more space-economical design than is found with any of these previously available packages by streamlining and eliminating much of the empty space within the package. With current transportation and storage costs, the ability to safely and securely contain a larger number of disk shipper packages in a given space, without sacrifice of security and safety for the disks is an extremely important consideration.